Written by a Newport Beach Otolaryngologist and Laryngologist, the Newport Voice Blog is an educational resource for patients interested in voice,swallowing, and airway disorders. For more information see WWW.NEWPORTVOICEANDSWALLOW.COM

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Suprisingly, I see few patients in my practice that are smokers. This is fortunate, as more than 90% of laryngeal cancers occur in smokers. Unfortunately, the tissue damage from smoking persists for decades after quitting. Some patients develop smoking-related cancers many years after quitting.

In addition to cancer, smoke causes inflammation and swelling, polyp formation, and precancerous changes of the vocal cords.

We know very little about the effects of marijuana smoke on the vocal cords, though I suspect it is equally dangerous as cigarette smoke.

A laryngocele is an air filled mass of the larynx, connecting to the lumen of the larynx through the ventricle. The ventricle is the space above the vocal cords and below the false vocal cords. The anterior part of the ventricle, called the saccule, can become enlarged and filled with air and/or mucus.

Laryngoceles can be confined within the voice box (internal laryngocele) or may extend beyond the larynx into the neck (external laryngocele) through the thyrohyoid membrane.

The image to the left is an example of an external laryngopyelocele. The mass (green arrow) is extending outside of the larynx into the neck. Laryngoceles can be associated with cancer of the larynx, and with certain occupations associated with blowing. These include horn players and glass blowers.

Treatment consists of surgery, either externally (through the neck) or endoscopically (through the mouth).

Welcome to the Newport Voice and Swallowing Blog. On a regular basis, I hope to post on vocal health, voice and swallowing disorders, and new scientific advances in the area of laryngology, bronchoesophagology, and otolaryngology. Please feel free to leave comments and questions.

My practice is located in Newport Beach, California. I am the Director of the Hoag Voice and Swallowing Center and specialize in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, with a special interest in voice and swallowing disorders, laryngeal cancer, and airway surgery.